Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

After defeating the Brooklyn Nets, the Bucks had no time to relax; they had to depart immediately.

According to the schedule, they were to head to Minnesota the next evening to challenge the Timberwolves.

This was their first back-to-back game of the season.

Then, the brawl between Kenyon Martin and Christian Laettner was quickly dealt with.

The League decided to issue a hefty fine, punishing both Martin and Laettner with fines and a one-game suspension.

But the matter wasn't over, as Martin continued to rant, "He (Frye) is still an overrated player! Even if they won this game, nothing will change!"

Yu Fei's sarcastic comments to the press after Kidd took a stand for Martin deepened the rift between the two sides.

"Looking forward to our next meeting," Kidd said.

When Yu Fei and the team arrived in Minnesota, the local media relayed Kidd's words to him.

Yu Fei's response was, "Last night's game, didn't he shoot 4 for 15? I hope he puts on that performance again the next time we meet. I love watching it."

This was Yu Fei's second visit to Minnesota, and most likely his last time here this season, and he felt the same as he did on his first visit.

It was cold, and just like Milwaukee, it lacked entertainment.

Therefore, the players who played here had to focus on the court. However, this didn't explain why the Timberwolves were always a mediocre team.

Even with Kevin Garnett performing at an MVP level, they could at best only make it to the first round of the playoffs.

On this issue, the public generally blamed Garnett, thinking that his contract was too large and he was too soft in key moments, that when the Timberwolves needed to score, he wouldn't go inside like a traditional big man; instead, he would make a tough-guy face and take a jump shot more elegant than that of an outside player.

Since the Chamberlain era, big men who loved to shoot could not step up to score when needed.

But Garnett had his own explanation for the team's situation, "I came from Sin City, and gangs were a part of my childhood. The mob boss always had a tough assistant. Just like MJ had Scottie, and Shaq had Kobe."

Although Garnett didn't say it, this sentence already indicated why the Timberwolves couldn't advance any further.

Indeed, as a secondary player, Wally Szczerbiak wasn't good enough.

The Bucks had no interest in the Timberwolves' plight or Garnett's predicament; they just wanted to win the game tonight and go home.

Since there was a clear gap between the two teams, if the Timberwolves wanted to win, Garnett needed to play like a god.

And against the Bucks' weak inside line, Garnett indeed played like one.

He finished the game with 28 points, 24 rebounds, and 8 assists, and it seemed unfair to ask more of Garnett.

However, the strength of one man wasn't enough to turn the situation around.

Tonight, six Bucks players scored in double figures, Yu Fei achieved triple-doubles in two consecutive games, and he helped Devean George have a wonderful game.

With Yu Fei's assists, George scored the team-high 18 points.

107 to 88

The Bucks triumphed over the Timberwolves away from home, positioning themselves atop the Eastern Conference with a 4-1 record.

"I don't know what else I can do," Garnett said to the reporters after the game, sounding defeated.

As the victor, Yu Fei was not satisfied with the game.

That's because Karl didn't use the 5 OUT lineup as he'd hoped.

After the game, Yu Fei asked Karl in the corridor why he didn't continue using the lineup that had stumped the Nets.

Karl logically explained, "The basis of that lineup is that our big men must be able to shoot threes. With Christian suspended, we lack a tall shooter."

From Karl's perspective, it seemed like a legitimate point.

But to Yu Fei, the 5 OUT lineup didn't require a big man who could shoot threes at all.

The term '5 OUT' literally means five out; what does that imply? It means having five players on the court who can shoot threes, ensuring at least one has the ball-handling skills and playmaking ability to facilitate the shooters.

Hence, a tall shooter is neither a sufficient nor a necessary condition.

However, Yu Fei didn't bring up his "twisted logic."

That's because the concept of "positionless basketball" was still too advanced for that era.

Moreover, Karl didn't seem to like the 5 OUT lineup very much.

That night, Karl routinely criticized Anthony Mason's selfish playstyle at the press conference.

When a reporter questioned why Mason's playing time was decreasing despite being a starter, Karl responded, "You'd better ask him that question. If you insist on asking me, I can tell you the answer. It's because he's not playing according to my strategy. Anthony must understand that this organization isn't just about him; he must play within the system of the organization. If he can't do that, his playing time will be reduced."

What was Mason's attitude toward this situation?

"I won't let anyone tell me how to play basketball."

Even those unfamiliar with the Bucks could see the issue: Karl had no control over Mason, and Mason had no respect for Karl.

This problem was not a new one.

Since last season, Mason had ignored Karl's criticisms.

The Bucks players were mostly accustomed to it, but one person was quietly observing this phenomenon.

Naturally, that person was Yu Fei, who was concerned about the team's future.

In his opinion, Mason was a cancer to the team.

But how should we extricate this cancer?

Yu Fei didn't expect the Bucks management to take the initiative in removing the tumor, if they had been capable of it, they would have done so last season.

"Tony, if you were me, how would you make someone you despise take a hike?" Yu Fei decided to ask people around him for advice to refresh his thinking.

In the past, in D.C., it was Jordan who instigated trouble, and he responded. Now, the situation had reversed—Mason wasn't provoking him at all, but had become an obstacle for himself.

This vexed a traveler who had always known only to face problems head-on.

"I don't know, maybe you should ask Arne." Lawson suggested the person most likely to help Yu Fei.

That made Yu Fei call his agent.

Upon receiving the call, Arne Trem heard Yu Fei say, "One of my teammates doesn't fit in in Milwaukee, what should I do to get him on a team that's a better fit for him?"

On the other end of the line, Trem rolled his eyes.

Since when could "I want XX to piss off" sound so pleasant?

Trem asked, "What's your status on the team?"

"Pretty much like the old man after he was out for the season last year," Yu Fei said, "The difference is that our team's Rip doesn't have a smart hernia, and our coach is tougher to deal with than Doug."

"That... teammate unsuitable for Milwaukee, is he affecting you?"

"No, he's made it clear where we stand, we don't affect each other."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"His presence is bad for the team," Yu Fei said, "I don't want to see things deteriorate."

"The time isn't right yet."

Trem said, "If you have already established your position on the team, then you can make a direct request to management, or even communicate with the owner. So, the priority now is to maintain your current performance, make your team status more solid, and strengthen your ties with the team. If they want you to participate in community and commercial activities, you should join them as much as possible."

This reminded Yu Fei of the conversation he had with the commercial director before the season started.

Yu Fei was gradually understanding Trem's strategy.

Participating in team events and strengthening his connection with local fans, then, as his performance kept improving, his popularity in Milwaukee would also rise step by step.

The result of rising popularity would be increased sales of team merchandise associated with him.

The owner would profit from this.

Only players who can help the franchise's owner make money are given high regard.

In the past, a self-focused Ray Allen had no off-court connection with fans, while Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassell were very willing to participate in off-court activities, but both of these team figureheads had been traded.

The team needed a new face.

From that day on, to the Bucks' top brass, Yu Fei seemed like a different person.

Although the previous Yu Fei was also amenable, he always lacked enthusiasm for the team's events.

Invite him ten times, he might agree two or three times at most.

But then, Yu Fei suddenly became the spokesperson for the team.

He was present at community events, commercial events, and charitable activities, and even appeared in team billboards, broadcasts, and radio shows.

"Is Frye the most affable star in Bucks history?"

After ten days, the most influential newspaper in the Milwaukee area conducted a poll.

In this poll, a whopping 90% of locals voted "yes".

"With 10% not supporting the idea, it seems I still need to work harder," Yu Fei humbly replied when a listener asked about it on the radio program the Bucks created for him.

Over those ten days, the Bucks played four games, only losing to the Pacers, but were still top of the Eastern Conference with a 7-2 record.

And Yu Fei averaged 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in nine games, which not only surprised the media but also brought up a topic the Basketball God definitely did not want to hear.

"Why on earth did the Wizards trade Frye?"

At the time, the Wizards were 5-5, their winning percentage just over half, but only 10th in the Eastern Conference.

Compared to the Wizards, the Bucks' standing was first in the Eastern Conference, second in the League.

Naturally, reporters were eager to go ask the main people responsible for the Wizards team for an explanation.

"I'm happy for Frye, I hope everything goes well for him," Doug Collins managed to dodge the question with his blessing for Yu Fei.

However, the answer from the man behind the scenes, the instigator behind Yu Fei's move to Milwaukee, was, "I won't answer that question because the season has just started! Maybe by the end of the season, you might have a completely different opinion!"

God's voice was so powerful, but it still couldn't stop the reporters' probing questions.

Because the Wizards had a rough start, while the Bucks were surging forward.

Compared to last season, God had lost his protective layer—the injury—and after off-season care, God had fully recovered. He stubbornly sent Yu Fei away, but the result let the Bucks soar while the Wizards were stuck in the mire.

"What was the actual reason for trading Frye, Michael? D.C. needs an explanation!" a fearless reporter from The Washington Post pressed on.

Michael Jordan stared at the person like the grim reaper, coldly spitting out one sentence, "Next question!"